'Bridgerton' star Adjoa Andoh blasted for calling King Charles' coronation 'too White': 'Racist woke garbage'
Critics accused Andoh of race-baiting with the remark
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Bridgerton" star Adjoa Andoh landed in hot water after calling the Buckingham Palace balcony at King Charles III's coronation ceremony on Saturday "terribly White."
"We have gone from the rich diversity of the Abbey to a terribly White balcony," she said to British journalists Tom Bradby and Julie Etchingham during TV's live coverage of the historic ceremony that crowned King Charles III the United Kingdom's 62nd monarch.
"I am very struck by that," she continued of the balcony. "I am also looking at those younger generations and thinking: 'What are the nuances that they will inhabit when they grow?"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}KING CHARLES OFFICIALLY CROWNED BRITISH MONARCH
Adjoa Andoh arrives to the 54th Annual NAACP Image Awards at Pasadena Civic Auditorium on February 25, 2023 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
On Twitter, some users accused the 60-year-old actress of spreading "racist woke garbage" and "race-baiting" while others rushed to her defense.
One critic wrote, "I am appalled at the comment made by Adjoa Andoh. It is race baiting and racist towards white people. Racism in any form is not acceptable. I hope @itv and @Ofcom will investigate this."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Another chimed in on the issue, writing, "I will not be watching Bridgerton again due to #AdjoaAndoh remarks," and a third said, "This isn’t a Disney movie #AdjoaAndoh It’s a family. Can’t add people in for #representation. Can’t put everything in the race bracket and get away with it."
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Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla wave on the Buckingham Palace balcony following their coronation ceremony in London, Britain May 6, 2023. (REUTERS/Matthew Childs)
Others criticizing her choice of words demanded she apologize or called on Ofcom (a U.K. broadcasting authority that regulates television, radio and more) to look into the incident.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, an activist who commonly appears on ITV, was among those rushing to Andoh's defense, writing, "#AdjoaAndoh told no lies in factual observation of ‘terribly White’ (literal & symbolic) Buckingham palace balcony at #Coronation in contrast to tokenism of race diversity at Westminster Abbey & got branded ‘racist’ White people false equivalence of racism is laughable."
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Adjoa Andoh attends the press night performance of "Blues For An Alabama Sky" at The Lyttelton Theatre, National Theatre, on October 4, 2022, in London, England. (David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Responding to the slew of social media outrage, Andoh insisted she "didn't mean to upset anyone" with the remark.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I think I upset a few people yesterday," she said Sunday on BBC Radio.
"I was talking about the day and how marvellous it was and then looking at the balcony at the end and suddenly going: 'Oh it's so White!' because the day had been so mixed and I didn't mean to upset anybody," she added.
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